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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · fork · stem · mine · vault · root · pound · temple

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fork — in a road
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. root — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. root — the cause
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. root — of a word
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com